The present invention relates to articles of decorative headwear and methods of wearing the same. More particularly, the present invention relates to articles of inflatable headwear in the nature of costumes and party favors adapted to embrace various themes, including holiday themes.
A variety of party hats and other decorative novelty headwear is provided in the prior art. Typically, such headwear is fabricated from relatively inexpensive materials, e.g., paper, cardboard, metal foil, plastic or rubber, and is formed in shapes intended to embrace a particular theme for amusement, entertainment or advertising purposes. In many cases, such headwear is adapted to be positioned on a wearer""s head and held thereto with a chin-strap or the like.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,218,780 and 5,243,707 issued to Growe et al. and Bodinet, respectively, disclose examples of inflatable headwear. Specifically, Growe et al. discloses an article of inflatable costume headwear comprising a lower helmet portion with an inflatable rim adapted for fitting the helmet portion on a wearer""s head, a separately inflatable upper decorative portion attached to the lower helmet portion, and a chin-strap adapted to hold the lower helmet portion on the wearer""s head. Bodinet discloses an inflatable hat constructed from a pair of metallized, gas-impermeable polymeric sheets sealed to one another at their peripheries to form an inflatable volume. The Bodinet hat includes an uninflated crown portion adapted to fit over a wearer""s head, and a chin-strap for securing the hat in place on the wearer""s head.
While Growe et al. and Bodinet both provide relatively inexpensive means for creating three-dimensional decorative headwear, they do not represent ideal solutions. The costume headwear disclosed in Growe et al. is rather complicated in construction, has at least two separate inflatable sections that must be inflated independently of one another, and is apparently so top-heavy that it requires a chin-strap. The uninflated crown portion of the Bodinet hat is presumably rather flimsy and, consequently, the chin-strap is needed to retain the hat on the wearer""s head, especially when the upper portion of the hat is weighted with decorative adornments. Moreover, in parties and other social settings, the form-fitting helmet/crown portions of the Growe et al. and Bodinet hats may be uncomfortably warm for prolonged wear and may undesirably affect the wearer""s hair style.
Thus, there is a need for improved decorative novelty headwear that addresses problems of the prior art, without being prohibitively expensive.
It is an object of the present invention to provide articles of three-dimensional novelty headwear that can be manufactured relatively inexpensively in a variety of shapes and sizes to embrace various themes, such as holiday themes.
A related object of the invention is to provide articles of inflatable headwear fabricated from relatively inexpensive materials, such as latex, Mylar(copyright), or other flexible, generally gas-impermeable materials.
Another object of the invention is to provide articles of decorative inflatable headwear having at least one inflatable volume shaped to fit and be retained on a wearer""s head, without the need for a chin strap.
Still another object of the invention is to provide articles of inflatable headwear utilizing technology now employed in the manufacture of Mylar(copyright) novelty balloons and also in the manufacture of conventional latex balloons.
In general, in one aspect of the present invention, article of decorative headwear comprises first and second flexible, generally gas-impermeable material. Each of the first and second sheets has a peripheral edge portion. The first and second sheets are sealed to one another at their respective peripheral edge portions to define an inflatable volume between the first and second sheets. The first and second sheets are shaped to define a primary inflatable portion and a pair of inflatable leg portions that extend from the primary inflatable portion. The inflatable leg portions are spaced from one another to define a head-receiving space between them, which is adapted for receiving a wearer""s head. The inflatable leg portions are adapted for engagement with side portions of the wearer""s head in a manner to retain the headwear on the wearer""s head when the inflatable leg portions are inflated.
In another aspect of the present invention, an article of decorative headwear comprises a decorative primary inflatable portion and a pair of inflatable leg portions. The inflatable leg portions are connected to the primary inflatable portion. Each of the inflatable leg portions extends generally downwardly from a proximal end adjacent the primary inflatable portion to a distal end below the primary inflatable portion. The inflatable leg portions are spaced from one another to define a head-receiving space between them, which is adapted for receiving a portion of a wearer""s head. The inflatable leg portions are adapted for engagement with the side surfaces of the wearer""s face. The inflatable leg portions have sufficient resiliency, when inflated, to retain the decorative headwear on the wearer""s head when the inflatable leg portions are inflated and in engagement with side surfaces of the wearer""s face.
In still another aspect of the present invention, an article of decorative headwear comprises at least two flexible sheets of generally gas-impermeable material. The sheets have portions sealed to one another in a manner to define an inflatable volume between the sheets. The sheets are shaped to define an inflatable primary decorative portion and a pair of face-engaging portions extending generally downwardly from the primary decorative portion. The face-engaging portions are monolithic extensions of the sheets. The face-engaging portions are spaced from one another and adapted for engagement with opposite side portions of a wearer""s face below the wearer""s ears in a manner to retain the headwear on the wearer""s head.
A method of the present invention for wearing a decorative article comprises the steps of: providing an article of inflatable headwear comprising a decorative primary inflatable portion and a pair of inflatable leg portions that extend generally downwardly from the primary inflatable portion to define a head-receiving space between them; inflating the article of inflatable headwear; and positioning the article on a wearer""s head in a manner so that the inflatable leg portions engage with side surfaces of the wearer""s face to retain the headwear on the wearer""s head.
While the principal advantages and features of the present invention have been described above, a more complete and thorough understanding and appreciation of the invention may be attained by referring to the drawing figures and description of the preferred embodiments, which follow.